Safety-guard for street-cars



S. NORTON & W.-H. RICE.-

(No Model.)

SAFETY GUARD FOB, STREET UARS.

Patented June 12, 1894.

TATYES.

ATENT Fr es.

STEPHEN NORTON AN D WILLIAM H. RICE, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK.

SAFETY-GUARD FDR STREET-CARS SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 521,294, dated June 12, 1894. Application filed September 20,1893; Serial No. 485,992. (No model.)

erence being had to the drawings accompanying this application.

This improvement relates to safety guards carried in front of the streetcars for catching and holding any thereon, and in those embodied person who may be thrown general features is similar to in the application of Stephen Norton, filed August 7, 1893, Serial No. 482,625. A

The invention consists in the construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and embodied in the claims.

In the drawingsFigure 1 is a side elevation of a portion of one end of a street car showing the improvement connected therewith. Fig. 2 is a plan View of the same. Fig. 3 is an enlarged horizontal section of one end of the guard roller and the end of the arm with which it is connected. Fig. 4 is a plan view of one of the guard chains. Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the stay bar.

A indicates a streetcar, B the truck, and G one of the car wheels.

D is a cross bar forming a bufier attached to the springs a a, and standing across the end of the car. It is padded or covered with some soft material, and serves to break the shock in case a person is thrown upon the guard in front.

E E are two side bars formingthe frame of the guard, and carrrying at their front ends a roller F. This frame is made in two sections E and E, pivoted at b,'so thatthe outer section carrying the roller can be folded or turned up in front out of the way when the car is out of use. The side bars forming the frame are attached on the under side of the car body by pivots c c which rest in open hooks cl d, by which means the frame can turn on the pivots as the car vibrates up and down, and can also be readily attached and removed. Each of these bars is also provided with an offset arm f, extending under the car, between which arm and the car is interposed a spring g, as shown in Fig. 1. The tendencyof this spring is to force the arm downward and to raise the outer end which holds the roller, upward.

G is a stay bar on each side connecting the bar E with the end of the truck 13. It is piv- 'oted at 2' to the bar and at k to the truck, so

that it will articulate freely. Preferably the rear portion of the stay bar is cranked upward as shown at Z, by which means it is elevated high above the road bed and gives room for snow plows or other devices below.

K is a flexible guard in front, one end at tached to the spring buffer D, and the other to the roller F, around which it is Wound a partial turn, as shown in Fig. 1. The roller is provided with a spring m, whose tendency is to turn it forward and draw upon the guard, thereby keeping it straight and also producing elasticity when a person is thrown upon the guard so as to depress it. In such case the guard unwinds the roller under the tension. The flexible guard is composed of chains n n, which are attached to the buffer and roller, and a series of cross slats 0 0 bolted thereto as shown in Fig. 4. By being attached at its upper end to the cross bar,higher than the bottom of the car, the guard forms a covering to. the bumper which projects from the end of the car, and thus prevents a person from coming in contact therewith in case he is thrown upon the guard.

The operation is as follows: As the car vibrates downward, carrying the guard frame withit, the stay bars G G move also downward at the front end, lengthening the space between the truck and guard frame, and the springs g g pressing on the arms ff turn the guard frame on the pivots c c and elevate the roller F to the same degree that the car is depressed. As the car vibrates upward again an important purpose by taking up all slack and looseness in the turning of the guard frame to compensate for the vibrations.

We do not claim in this application the jointed frame, roller and stays shown in the application of Stephen Norton, filed August 7, 1893, Serial No. 482,625; but,

Having described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination, with the ear and truck, of the guard frame E pivoted to the bottom of the car and provided with the offset arms ff, the springs g g interposed between said offset arms and the bottom of the car, and the stay bars G G pivoted at one end to the guard frame and at the other to the truck, as herein shown'and described.

Flt The combination of the guard frame composed of two sections pivoted together so that the outenaone can be turned up, and provided withpivots at the top, the open books with which said pivots connect, the offset arms at the top of the guard frame, the springs interposed between said arms and the bottom of the car, and the pivoted stay barseonnecting, the guard frame and truck, as and for the purpose specified.

3. The combination of the guard frame pivoted under the car and provided with offset 30 arms, the springs interposed between the arms and the bot-tom of the car, the stay bars connecting the guard frame with the truck, the spring roller at the front end of the guard frame, roller with the end of the car as described.

4. The combination, with a street car, of a flexible guard composed of chains and cross slats attached at the outer end to the supporting frame, and at the inner end to the car 40 and the flexible guard connecting the 3 5 

